Religious discrimination laws are unlikely to be resuscitated by the Albanese Government after being abandoned last year. Source: SBS News.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has ruled out reintroducing religious discrimination legislation until fraying social cohesion improves.
The laws to bar discrimination in public places such as workplaces, schools, clubs and health care were shelved by the Government in August last year, with Mr Albanese blaming a lack of support from the Opposition and rising community tensions.
Asked ahead of Saturday’s election whether a re-elected Labor Government would place the bills back on the agenda, Mr Albanese said the situation had not improved and expressed reluctance to re-ignite debate.
“I maintain my position that you need broad support for legislation. We weren’t able to receive that,” Mr Albanese said.
“This is the last time … that you would want to have a divisive debate about religion.
“I’m up for legislation that has broad support, but we do not need further issues created. I’ve been about turning the temperature down on those issues, which is what social cohesion requires.”
Labor promised at the 2022 election to introduce legislation outlawing discrimination against LGBTIQ+ students and staff at religious schools, as well as discrimination on the basis of religious beliefs or lack thereof.
When the laws were withdrawn last year, Opposition legal affairs spokesperson Michaelia Cash described cross-party negotiations as “one of the most bizarre processes I have seen in my time in Parliament”.
Faith groups first called for the legislation after the 2017 legalisation of marriage equality, concerned about the effect of the new laws on their expression of religious belief, but successive attempts to pass legislation have fallen short.
The Turnbull government commissioned a review chaired by former attorney-general Philip Ruddock, with former prime minister Scott Morrison proposing and then withdrawing Coalition legislation in 2022.
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Albanese rules out renewing religious discrimination law push without ‘broad support’ (By Naveen Razik, SBS News)
